Herby roast chicken
4
Easy
40 minutes, plus overnight soaking time
2 ½ hours
If you could calculate how much money you’ve thrown in the trash in the form of little packs of unused herbs, you’d probably be able to finally work through that crushing debt. Today, we’re problem-solving and using every last delicious leaf in this tasty meal. We’re making what I like to call magic green oil – it’s the stuff chefs like to squeeze on everything they cook just before serving, and I totally get why. It makes everything taste better – and the best thing about this recipe is that it uses up the herb pulp, too, so nothing goes to waste at all. Isn’t that awesome? I used the herb pulp to make a herby butter to cram under the chicken skin before roasting. It’s all so good, and all that robust, buttery flavour seeps straight into the chicken.
I love making hummus, and as much as peeling the chickpeas can be kind of tedious, it’s a necessary step in ensuring you have the smoothest possible hummus. I know we always say this, but this recipe probably doesn’t even require you to go shopping because you’ll probably have all of this in your fridge and pantry already. This is the kind of supper I could eat every single day. I seriously doubt plates won’t come back licked clean.
Ingredients
Method
- 2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
- 2 T tahini
- 1 T lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 t cumin powder
- salt, to taste
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 T Woolworths spicy seasoning For the magic green oil:
- 20 g parsley
- 10 g dill
- 10 g chives
- 10 g oregano
- 1 stick celery
- 2 garlic cloves
- sea salt, a good pinch
- 1 cup canola oil For the herb roasted chicken:
- 250 g butter, softened
- 1 free-range whole chicken
- 2 T flaky salt
- Micro herbs, to garnish
Method
Ingredients
1. Boil the soaked chickpeas in water until tender. Drain, allow to cool, then set aside ½ cup of the cooked chickpeas for roasting. Peel the rest and place in a blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend until very smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
2. To make the magic green oil, blend all the ingredients together until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan, place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3 minutes, until the oil and herbs separate, and the oil turns a bright green. Remove from heat and pass the oil through a muslin cloth. Set aside until ready to use. Reserve the herb pulp.
3. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
4. To prepare the chicken, first make the herb butter. Place the herb pulp in a bowl, add the softened butter and combine thoroughly. Pat the chicken dry with kitchen paper. Stuff most of the herb butter under the chicken skin, massaging it to distribute the butter evenly. Rub the outside of the chicken with flaky salt, then cover with the remainder of the herb butter. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and roast for 40–45 minutes or until the skin is crispy and the chicken is cooked through.
5. Heat 2 T of canola oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Season the remaining chickpeas with the spicy seasoning and place in the frying pan. Roast for 10 minutes, until crispy.
6. To serve, spread the hummus on a platter. Top with the roast chicken, scatter over the crispy chickpeas and generously drizzle with the green oil. Garnish with micro herbs. Serve hot.
Find more chicken recipes here.
Food assistant: Lerato Motau
Videographer: Romy Wilson
Photographer: Shavan Rahim
Production: Amy Ebedes-Murray
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